Yrjö Kukkapuro: A true master of Finnish design

By Ndéla Faye

For more than six decades, Yrjö Kukkapuro shaped Finland’s furniture design scene. His chairs did not just offer comfort – they sparked conversation, brought joy and embodied an enduring belief: that beauty and ergonomics need never be at odds.

Kukkapuro began his design journey in the late 1950s, paving the way for Finnish design on a world stage. But while many of his contemporaries leaned into the clean austerity of Nordic minimalism, Kukkapuro took a more human-centric path, focusing on user experience while embracing playful forms and experimental materials.

Yrjö Kukkapuro with the Karuselli chair, designed in 1964. Photo: Studio Kukkapuro

A true visionary

Kukkapuro’s most iconic piece, the Karuselli chair (1964), became a symbol of his ingeniousness. With its futuristic fibreglass shell, swivelling base and enveloping leather seat, the chair was a radical departure from traditional forms and was quickly recognised as a modern classic. The New York Times once declared it “the most comfortable chair in the world,” and today the chairs have found their way to the permanent collections at Museum of Modern Art in New York and Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

In 1983, Kukkapuro designed the boldly angular Experiment. The chair was relaunched to critical acclaim in 2024, embraced by a new generation of design lovers drawn to its avant-garde sensibility.

Studio Kukkapuro, designed and built by Kukkapuro and his wife and graphic artist. Now, it’s being turned into a home museum and a centre for design. Photo: Studio Kukkapuro

Studio Kukkapuro: a creative sanctuary

At the heart of Kukkapuro’s practice was a place that held a deep importance both personally and professionally. In 1969, Kukkapuro and his wife, graphic artist Irmeli Kukkapuro, designed and built Studio Kukkapuro – a striking concrete, steel and glass structure – in Kauniainen. For decades, it served as their home and shared creative sanctuary: part residence, part workshop, part living archive of one of Finland’s most influential design partnerships.

Studio Kukkapuro, designed and built by Kukkapuro and his wife and graphic artist. Now, it’s being turned into a home museum and a centre for design.

At the age of 91, Yrjö Kukkapuro died in February 2025, and now the baton has been passed to the next generation. Studio Kukkapuro is being turned into a home museum and a centre for design by Isa Kukkapuro-Enbom and Ida Kukkapuro, Yrjö’s daughter and granddaughter, who are now the proud custodians of the Kukkapuro legacy. “We’re not just preserving my father’s work – we’re also ensuring that his ideas and vision continue to evolve and resonate with people,” Kukkapuro-Enbom says.

The Triennale chair, originally designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro for the Milan Triennale in 1960, is back in production. With its minimalist metal frame, wooden elements, and separate cushions, the chair is a timeless classic.